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Who designs and installs septic systems in Virginia?

In Virginia a licensed onsite soil evaluator, or a professional engineer working with one, evaluates the site and designs the system. The local health department reviews the design and issues the construction permit. A DPOR-licensed onsite sewage system installer builds it, the designer inspects the installation, and alternative systems then need a licensed operator to visit at least once a year.

Free to ask. Local shops send quotes, and you pay only when you book one.

By Kasra Taheri, Founder, LoclisPublished

Researched and drafted with AI, then checked claim by claim against the sources listed below before it was published. Prices and rules change; the dates beside each source say when it was last checked.

This is a job for a licensed pro in Virginia

This page explains what the work involves, the permits, what a licensed pro does and what drives the cost. It does not give step-by-step instructions, because this work needs a licence, a permit or both, and doing it wrong can injure someone. Before you hire, check the licence on Virginia's DPOR record.

The short version

A new septic system in Virginia passes through four sets of hands: a licensed designer, the local health department, a licensed installer and, for alternative systems, a licensed operator. Each is a separate licence, and the homeowner usually hires the designer and the installer directly.

The designer: an onsite soil evaluator or engineer

By law, the health department must accept private site evaluations and designs certified by a licensed professional engineer working in consultation with a licensed onsite soil evaluator, or by a licensed onsite soil evaluator.[2] In practice, that private work is now the normal route. Since August 11, 2019, every application for an onsite sewage system or private well has had to come with supporting work from a private-sector consultant licensed through DPOR.[1] VDH does the evaluation and design itself only for owners who petition for services and either meet its means test, household income no more than 100% of the federal poverty guidelines, or qualify under its hardship guidelines.[1]

The soil evaluator's work is licensed. Va. Code § 54.1-2302 reads: "No person shall operate a waterworks or wastewater works, perform the duties of an onsite soil evaluator, or install or operate an alternative onsite sewage system, without a valid license."[3] There are two classes. A conventional onsite soil evaluator may design conventional systems; an alternative onsite soil evaluator may design both conventional and alternative systems.[4]

A soil evaluator is not an engineer. Only a licensed professional engineer may practise engineering,[2] so engineering work is done by a PE, who may work in consultation with the soil evaluator.

The evaluator studies the soil on your lot, decides what kind of system it can support, and draws the design: the tank, the drainfield layout and any pumps or treatment units. That design is what installers price and what the health department permits.

The permit: your local health department

The local health department, part of the Virginia Department of Health, reviews the application and issues the construction permit. The law sets a clock: within 15 working days of a written request for a single-lot construction permit based on a private design, the health department must either issue the permit or explain in writing why it is denied.[2]

Cutaway illustration of a buried round septic tank with a hatch on top, a floating scum layer, liquid, settled sediment at the bottom and an inlet pipe on the side
Illustration: Olek Remesz (Orem), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The installer: a DPOR-licensed onsite sewage system installer

The regulation is direct: "No individual may install a conventional or alternative onsite sewage system without a valid onsite sewage system installer license issued by the board in the appropriate class."[5] The classes mirror the designers'. A conventional installer may build and repair conventional systems; an alternative installer may build and repair both conventional and alternative systems.[4] A journeyman installer must work under the direct supervision of a licensed master installer with the right class of licence.[5]

Check the class against the design. An installer licensed only for conventional systems is licensed to build conventional systems, not alternative ones.[4]

The final inspection and operation permit

When the permit came from a private design, the certifying engineer or soil evaluator must inspect the system at the time of installation and give the health department an inspection report.[7] If the designer does not inspect in a timely way, or will not certify that the system was built substantially as designed, the owner may petition the health department to inspect it and make a final decision.[7]

The operation permit is the document VDH issues after the inspection and paperwork are complete, and it gives the owner authority to begin using the system.[8] Keep it, along with the as-built drawing. The as-built drawing shows where each component was actually installed,[8] which saves time every time the tank is pumped.

After it is built: operators and septic services

Ongoing care is licensed too. No individual may operate or maintain a conventional or alternative onsite sewage system without a valid operator licence in the appropriate class.[6] Owners of alternative systems must have them operated and maintained by a licensed operator, generally under a service contract, with visits at least once a year or more often if the operating permit says so.[9]

For pumping, Virginia Cooperative Extension advises that you make sure the septic tank service is licensed and has a state permit to handle and dispose of the material removed from a septic tank.[11] See how often a septic tank should be pumped.

Finding and checking them

VDH keeps a list and map of haulers, installers, operators, soil evaluators, engineers and well drillers, but it does not endorse any of them or vouch for their licence status, and it recommends checking each one on DPOR's website.[10] DPOR's own consumer guide warns: "A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor's license is valid."[12]

Before you sign:

  • Look up each person's licence and class on DPOR's licence lookup, for the designer and the installer separately.
  • Ask the evaluator what the fee covers: soil work, design, the permit application and the final inspection.
  • Ask installers to price the approved design, and get at least three written bids or estimates using identical plans and specifications.[12]
  • Ask who files the paperwork for the operation permit, and when you will receive the as-built drawing.
  • Get it in writing: "Virginia law requires all licensed contractors to provide a written contract for residential work."[12]

When to call a licensed pro

Call a soil evaluator first, before you buy rural land, plan an addition that adds bedrooms, or replace a failing system, because the design decides the price. Our page on what a new septic system costs explains the fees, and how a septic system works explains what each part of the design does. If you are fixing an existing system, read whether you need a permit to repair a septic system.

Browse septic system services, excavation businesses in Blacksburg and more excavation and septic answers. When you are ready, describe the job once and get quotes from licensed businesses.

Common questions

Will the health department design my septic system?
Usually not. Since August 2019, applications need supporting work from a DPOR-licensed private-sector evaluator or engineer. VDH provides evaluation and design only to owners who petition for services and meet its income test or its hardship guidelines.
What is an onsite soil evaluator?
A professional licensed by DPOR's board for onsite sewage system professionals to evaluate soils, certify whether a site is suitable for a septic system and design the system. Conventional evaluators design conventional systems; alternative evaluators can design both kinds.
Do I need an engineer, or is a soil evaluator enough?
For most single homes a licensed onsite soil evaluator can certify the evaluation and design. Some designs call for a professional engineer, and only a licensed engineer may practise engineering. Ask the evaluator at the first visit whether your site or system type needs one.
Can I install my own septic system?
Virginia's licensing regulation says no individual may install a conventional or alternative onsite sewage system without a valid installer licence in the appropriate class. Ask your local health department before planning any work on a system yourself.
Who takes care of the system once it is built?
For a conventional system, you do, with a licensed septic service for pumping and inspections. An alternative system must also be operated and maintained by a licensed operator who visits at least once a year and reports to VDH, usually under a service contract.

Sources

  1. [1] Septic, Sewage, and Well Applications: Have You Considered Using the Private Sector?, Virginia Department of Health. Checked October 27, 2026.
  2. [2] Va. Code § 32.1-163.5, Onsite sewage evaluations, Code of Virginia, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  3. [3] Va. Code § 54.1-2302, License required, Code of Virginia, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  4. [4] 18VAC160-40-10, Onsite Sewage System Professionals Licensing Regulations: Definitions, Virginia Administrative Code, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  5. [5] 18VAC160-40-110, Onsite Sewage System Professionals Licensing Regulations: License required (installers), Virginia Administrative Code, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  6. [6] 18VAC160-40-170, Onsite Sewage System Professionals Licensing Regulations: License required (operators), Virginia Administrative Code, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  7. [7] Va. Code § 32.1-164.1, Appeals from denials of septic tank permits; inspections, Code of Virginia, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
  8. [8] What You Should Know When Buying a House with an Onsite System, Virginia Department of Health. Checked October 27, 2026.
  9. [9] Onsite Sewage System Owner Responsibilities, Virginia Department of Health. Checked October 27, 2026.
  10. [10] Septic System and Private Well Service Providers, Virginia Department of Health. Checked October 27, 2026.
  11. [11] Septic Tank Best Management Practices (SPES-380), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 27, 2026.
  12. [12] What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Checked October 27, 2026.

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